Howard Berman

Mr. BERMAN

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 361) commemorating Irena Sendler, a woman whose bravery saved the lives of thousands during the Holocaust and remembering her legacy of courage, selflessness, and hope.

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this resolution.

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BERMAN

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6456) to provide for extensions of certain authorities of the Department of State, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. BERMAN

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I want to acknowledge the contribution not only of Mr. Chabot in offering this resolution but of our colleague Mr. Capuano, the gentleman from Massachusetts, whose own resolution, a great deal of the language in that was incorporated into this resolution. And it is truly a collaborative effort, and I wanted to thank him as well. I have no further speakers at this time, and so I reserve the balance of our time.

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and so I will reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I first want to thank Congressman Steve Chabot for introducing this resolution which expresses the outrage of Congress towards recent attacks on the peacekeeping forces in Darfur and for the shameful lack of resources still experienced by these brave shoulders trying to protect innocent civilians. On July 8, just 3 weeks ago, seven peacekeepers serving under the United Nations African Union Mission in Darfur were killed and another 22 wounded while carrying out UNAMID operations in Sudan. These operations are designed to bring stability and security to the region. One week later, a Nigerian peacekeeper was shot and killed by militiamen while on patrol in Western Darfur. This recent violence sponsored by the Sudanese Government and targeting UNAMID forces is one more justification for the recent indictment of Sudanese President Al-Bashir as commander-in-chief of his armed forces. A shameful part of Darfur's unrelenting nightmare has been the failure of the international community to make available to UNAMID the resources, equipment, aviation, and transportation assets and personnel needed to carry out the peacekeeping mission. UNAMID requires the 26,000 troops authorized by the U.N. Security Council and at least 18 utility helicopters and six tactical helicopters and crews. These needs have not been met. Years ago, Congress and the President declared the crisis in Darfur a genocide. As a result, we have a moral duty to commit sufficient resources to protect civilians in Darfur. The President and the Secretary of Defense must marshal U.S. Defense Department assets, including helicopters, and immediately deploy them to UNAMID. Madam Speaker, I strongly support this measure. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BERMAN

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1008) condemning the persecution of Baha'is in Iran, as amended.

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. BERMAN. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, first let me thank our colleague, Mark Kirk, for introducing this important resolution. The Baha'i community in Iran certainly is no stranger to severe government persecution. But as a result of arrests in March and May of 2008, the entire national leadership of the Iranian Baha'i community is now being held incommunicado. The May arrests are the most direct action taken against Baha'i leadership in Iran since the early 1980s, when the Iranian Government abducted and executed the entire leadership of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is. In 1983, all formal Baha'i administrative institutions were outlawed. In the past 4 years, 166 Baha'is have been arrested in Iran. Among the charges brought against them is ``creating anxiety in the minds of the public and those of the Iranian officials.'' Conditions for the Baha'i in Iran are deteriorating, including an upsurge in violent attacks, the destruction of property, the demolition of homes, and arson. Ministry of Intelligence officers and agents continue to summon, arbitrarily detain, and interrogate Baha'is about all aspects of their lives and about any Muslims who may participate in Baha'i activities. The resolution before the House calls on the Government of Iran to immediately and unconditionally release Baha'is imprisoned as a result of their religion, and to cease its systematic persecution of the Baha'i community. It sends a strong signal that Congress will continue to watch closely the treatment of the Baha'i people in Iran. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BERMAN

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Chicago (Ms. Schakowsky).

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to support this resolution, which was introduced by my good friend, the ranking member of the Europe Subcommittee, Elton Gallegly, the gentleman from California, a resolution that congratulates Albania and Croatia on receiving an invitation to begin accession talks with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and expresses support for further expansion of the alliance. At the NATO summit held in Bucharest this past April, the alliance made notable progress on integrating the Balkans into this important Euro-Atlantic institution. Most significantly, NATO invited Albania and Croatia to begin accession talks. I was pleased to see that accession protocols were signed with both countries on July 9th. These two countries, Albania and Croatia, have made remarkable progress in reforming their political institutions and strengthening their military capabilities in recent years. They will make important contributions to international security, as well as to the stability of Southeastern Europe. NATO has also recognized the hard work and commitment demonstrated by other countries in the region. The alliance responded positively to a request from Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina to intensify their engagement. Both countries have been active participants in NATO's Partnership for Peace program for the last 18 months and will begin an intensive dialogue with NATO on a wide range of political, military and financial issues. NATO leaders also extended a hand of friendship to Serbia, inviting the country to similarly upgrade its engagement to Intensified Dialogue, even though Belgrade has yet to indicate its interest in enhanced cooperation at this stage. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell).

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from North Dakota (Mr. Pomeroy).

Mr. BERMAN

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I have no other speakers and so I reserve my time.

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1279) recognizing the Special Olympics' 40th anniversary.

Mr. BERMAN

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1370) calling on the Government of the People's Republic of China to immediately end abuses of the human rights of its citizens, to cease repression of Tibetan and Uighur citizens, and to end its support for the Governments of Sudan and Burma to ensure that the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games take place in an atmosphere that honors the Olympic traditions of freedom and openness, as amended.

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to my colleague from California (Ms. Woolsey).